Who We Are
AN ADVOCATE FOR THE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN
For more than 70 years, Arsenal Family and Children’s Center has offered programs and services that provide the building blocks necessary to create a strong foundation for the healthy development of children and the formation of nurturing and healthy parent-child relationships. We are proud to be accredited by the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and also are a Pennsylvania Keystone Star 4 Facility.
History
Arsenal Family and Children’s Center was founded in Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh in 1953 by pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock. Then on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine, Dr. Spock designed the Center as a training site for pediatric students to study normal child development. Dr. Spock believed this would secure longitudinal study of child growth and development across generations. In 1980, Arsenal became a private, non-profit organization. In 2003, the Lawrenceville site relocated to the Friendship area of Pittsburgh, as a building was purchased through the generosity of an anonymous donor. Now operating as a developmental preschool and social service agency, the Center offers an array of programs and services for young children and their families. Arsenal also continues to be a training site for colleges and universities in the Pittsburgh community. Arsenal remains committed to the needs of children as the point of departure for all of its programming. We are fortunate to have a stable, professional staff, many of whom have been at Arsenal for ten years or longer and are uniquely capable of serving the diversity of the children in our programs.
The original desk used by Dr. Benjamin Spock.
Mission
The mission of Arsenal Family & Children’s Center (AFCC) is to promote and to be an advocate for the healthy development of young children and support their parents in building a nurturing relationship with each child.
Philosophy
Arsenal Family & Children’s Center has stayed true to our longstanding philosophy of active learning through play in a high-quality early learning environment. Children at Arsenal are invited to explore, create, and manipulate ideas, toys and materials in ways that enable them to learn and grow in personally meaningful ways. We strive to develop children’s emotional intelligence and impart to them basic human values like compassion, honesty, respect and cultural awareness. Our knowledgeable and dedicated teachers provide a caring, safe and patient environment that encourages children to play and learn at their own pace, to make their own discoveries and to try new things. We are an inclusive environment where all children regardless of race, gender, disability, or social economic status are accepted as we intentionally promote every child’s individual level of learning into the classroom environment. Each child and family are unique, and we strive to develop meaningful relationships with all of them to support their needs and make a difference in the lives of the children and families we serve.
*Arsenal Family & Children’s Center does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin (including limited English proficiency), age, sex, or sexual orientation. Arsenal Family & Children’s Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The original desk used by Dr. Benjamin Spock.